


On the Backs of Monsters

by StarlightQueen17



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Drift Compatibility, Dystopia, F/M, Kaiju (Pacific Rim), M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sibling Bonding, Slow Build, robot violence, with elements of evangelion, with some Darling in the Franxx
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 03:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17236733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightQueen17/pseuds/StarlightQueen17
Summary: The end of the world is on Rhy Maresh's shoulders. As the youngest commander recently assigned a base in the Pacific Ocean, he faces a lot of pressure to lead, to defend, and to ensure the survival of humanity. Not to mention the stress of working with his once hero, now the head of kaiju remains disposal, Alucard Emery, and seeing his brother on the front lines of battle. But monsters do not dwell in the ocean alone. As he tries to build the foundation for a new world, the darker secrets of the human war on kaiju rises from the deep. Soon he will need all his friends to survive.





	On the Backs of Monsters

Rhy’s father would say there were really only two traits that mattered as a leader. One was that you can convince everyone that everything was under control. The second is convincing yourself you had control to begin with. If Rhy were being honest he would add a third to that list; convincing everyone you deserve to have control. It was a hard thing to do when the world had devolved into chaos and nightmares, and right now he didn’t know if he could follow that one.

Rhy tossed and turned in his chair as he took stock of his progress for the seventh time that night. Ten pages of paper lay scattered about his area of the cabin, two pens drained of all their ink sat lifeless on the cabin floor and at least one glass of wine had been downed. The only sound in the dark cabin was the hum of the plane engine. Darkness and light…

‘That could be something?’ A thought entered his mind and he steadied the pen he had been fidgeting with in his hand and put it to paper, a sudden shot of energy running through him.

‘ _In the darkness of our world I will need you to create light, and together we will...create a new chapter for humanity!’_

No. Too grandiose and melodramatic, he thought. This is the end of the world we’re talking about and those fighting to stop it might see too much hope as foolishness. The blind optimism of a child, not a leader. He scratched through the sentence, once, twice, three times, just so the words would know how utterly annoyed he was with them. If the words wanted respect they would earn them by not being difficult.

That was another thing his father always said.  

Rhy had always prided himself on his words, his eloquence and ability to capture people’s interest, but In less than three hours he would be expected to take control of one of the major Jaeger bases in the pacific. After that, he would be meeting with one of the most intimidating people on the planet, and hopefully get him to give a damn about what he has to say. Rhy wished he had more wine.

“Perhaps I’ll just toss myself into the sea. Fight the damn Kaiju one on one, then they’ll take me seriously.” He mumbled as he leaned back against the seat.

“True, but I’m pretty sure the only respect you’ll be given is at a funeral.” Rhy perked up at the familiar voice. The door behind him opened up and through it stepped Rhy’s brother. Kell walked with his shoulders forward and his head bowed a little lower than he normally did, his willowy figure a tad to tall for the cabin. He carried thick manilla envelope in one hand and a styrofoam cup of coffee in the other, steam rising gently from the cup and filling the air with a bitter aroma. He set the cup down on Rhy’s tray with a slight frown on his lips.

 

Kell had been with Rhy since the two were practically toddlers. Kell was obviously adopted, his pale skin and red hair a stark contrast to the dark brown skin and ink black curls of their family, but nothing in the world could convince either of them that it made a lick of difference. They were brothers in every way that mattered, so when Rhy got assigned a command base in the pacific he knew his brother would be right there with him.

Their mother used to joke that some kids were joined at the hip, he and Kell were joined at the soul.

“Fair, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea I’ve ever had.” He set down his work and took a sip of coffee, which he would regret. Utterly devoid of any flavor except bitter dirt, with a consistency almost like sludge. Rhy swallowed it down with a grimace and a shudder. “Christ, this is disgusting. I’ve had break-ups less bitter than this...” He pauses for a moment, “well, calling it coffee seems disrespectful. Let’s go with angry bean juice?”  Kell rolled his eyes and Rhy smiled in spite of himself.

“Well I’m sorry, they didn’t exactly build a Starbucks into a military grade jet plane.” Kell sat down as he spoke, straightening his jacket and pulling out a set of papers from the folder. He didn’t even look up from his reading when he continued, “Besides, you should get used to living without luxury. The Jaeger base is not going to have five star dining and a spa, Rhy.”

His brother is as right as he is irritating. Rhy may be spoiled, but Kell doesn’t have room to talk. He thinks of teasing back that living on a remote island of the coast of California means his brother can’t buy a million types of outerwear either, but decides a commander does not squabble with his brother. He takes another sip of coffee and thinks it though.

“Well don’t drink more of it if you don’t like it.”  Rhy stops and shakes his head.

“Can’t. Haven’t slept at all and I have speech and a meeting in” He looks at his watch, “six hours, and not even the traces of a speech written yet. So despite it being horrible coffee, it’s going to have to get me through this.” Rhy downed the rest of the coffee and picked up a pen, scribbled it on the paper and once it was discovered to be dry tossed it onto the floor with its fallen brethren.

“You do have the option of using one of the pre-written speeches your father sent. It would give the both of us much less of a headache.”  Rhy shook his head and tried to ignore the use of “your father” instead of “our” as he rummaged around his messenger bag for another pen.

“ No. This is my base, my people, and my responsibility. They need to know they can trust me if they are to follow me, and they can’t trust me if I read from a script and hide behind someone else's words.”  Rhy looked up and met his brother in the eyes, a slight manic look on his face.

“Besides, If I can’t handle some slight pressure now, how can I be expected to handle a Kaiju rising out of the deep?”

Kell sighed, and upon noticing Rhy still didn’t have a writing utensil, leaned across the tiny plane isle and offered his. Rhy took it and set to work on a new sheet of paper.

The two of them fell into comfortable silence naturally, Rhy and his writing and Kell going over documents, making notes of his own. Sometimes Rhy felt it was too easy, like his brother was too good at being silent and might one day slip away into nothing while he wasn’t looking. It was a silly fear, his brother was known for his stubborn loyalty and inability to give up on people, but it whispered in the back of his head all the same. Because sometimes Rhy did lose him. His brother would get lost in a thought, a memory, and go glassy eyed and distant, frozen in time. It happened more when they were younger, a side effect of how Kell came to be with them. Still, it was a fear he should have abandoned long ago.

An hour passed before Rhy had the start of something he liked. It wasn’t perfect but it should be enough to get minds to open and chances to be given, which is all he needs for now. Hopefully his actions will be what makes people walk barefoot into hell with him. He looked up and saw Kell still going through piles of paper, a large stack on one side of him, and a smaller one on the other. Rhy staired for a moment, hoping the other man would feel his gaze, only for him to be ignored. A commander shouldn’t pout, but Rhy still has time before the plane lands to indulge. As Kell continues to be oblivious, Rhy finally gives in and asks, “What is it that you’re working on brother?”

 

Kell finally looked up, looking a bit startled as if he forgot he was not alone. He hasn’t gotten much sleep either, red creeping in to those ice blue eyes.

“ I’m going over pilot applications and seeing who might be a suitable match for each other and for which Jaeger. It’s a bit complicated when you have to compare brain scans, physical history, the power each machine needs...” Rhy smiled at the tone his brother took when discussing pilots and Jaegers. Passionate and intense might be accurate to a degree, though with a certain amount of restraint he’s always had even as a child.

“Playing matchmaker for your robots.” Kell huffed and gave him a glare. Rhy smirked and leaned forward.

“Helping you with an essential part of your job.”

“ Is that so…” Rhy knew Kell was technically his assistant, but his brother taking initiative on this particular topic showed him where he really wanted to be. It was Rhy who was the people person after all, Kell preferring the abstract. Not that they didn’t both have a fascination with the towering machines and those who wade them into battle, perhaps because it was forbidden to both of them. They would stay up many a night as children planing what Jaeger they would pilot together, even if it wasn’t the path their parent’s sent them down. Rhy got up and leaned over Kell’s shoulder, looking at the files on both man and machine.

“What’s looking like our best robot?” Kell rolled his eyes, he hated calling Jaegers robots, and looked through the files, pulled out three documents each two inches thick. Rhy let out a slow whistle.

“These are the most recent and advanced, designed by Calla herself and ranked by versatility, strength, and durability.”  Rhy picked one up, the first page a schematic of a burly Jaeger that he thought looked like a knight from a certain angle.

“COl-3” He whispered under his breath, flipping through the file slowly, trying to take in all the information written on the side.

“It’s the toughest of the new models, built to withstand a fall from space.”

“Why would it fall from space?” His brother doesn’t answer him, just goes back to the papers in his lap. Rhy looks through more files, most of them written in a mix of code and math that he doesn’t want to deal with on three hours of sleep, until he comes across a truly bizarre looking machine.

“Woah…” Its tall, thinner than most of the others in a way that looks human yet twisted and besteal. Long digits with pointed ends, a form of metallic hide almost like skin, with the head having three “eyes” on it.  An uncanny mix of machine and monster that stood above most cities. “This one we should stick out like a scarecrow, try and frighten the Kaiju away.”

Kell looked back at the file in Rhy’s hand, an unsettling glint of fascination in his eyes.

“That’s our most advanced one. Nothing like it has been made before and it was top secret for a long time. Even I don’t have all the Information on it. This should be its debut if we find the right pilots.”

Nothing about that feels right. Rhy makes a note to ask his father for the whole file on this...thing. Secrecy wasn’t uncommon, even though the world was supposed to work together to defeat the kaiju, competition and centuries worth of grudges meant governments and private corporations alike tried to steal plans and resources in an effort to be on top.  A lust for money, fame, and power will either save the world or doom it.

“The pilots will be the deciding factor of ANTR-1,” Kell’s voice shakes Rhy from his thoughts. “It’s so complicated it needs three pilots to function.”

“Looks like it will be our problem child.” Most Jaegers need two pilots and finding two capable, compatible people was hard enough. Finding three would be a nightmare. Rhy puts down the papers on the Jaegers just as the pilot light comes on and a voice plays over the speaker.

“We will preparing for landing now sir’s. Please be seated as we prepare for descent.”

Rhy goes back to his seat, his body suddenly full of a nervous energy. _‘Perfect_ ’ he thought ‘ _I needed another kick of adrenaline_ ’. He knew just what to do with this feeling, how to channel it and use it to his advantage. He was a born performer ready to take to the stage. He took another deep breath before looking over at Kell.

“Don’t suppose you found a top pilot in that pile? I need to know who I should try to impress.”

Kell looked through his pages and notes before handing him a few pages with a cover photo on top. A figure in a uniform with rough features and black hair.

 

“Oh, this will be fun.” he said as he began to read Holland Vosijk’s file.

______________

Alucard looked out over the misty waters as he guided his ship to shore. A fog had rolled in, and the world looked half formed from the viewing deck of the makeshift research vessel that he called home. A few of the younger crew had suggested phoning the employer and arriving a day late to avoid the fog. Alucard nearly threw them overboard. That kind of attitude won’t keep you alive in this business, and it certainly won’t get you paid.

“If a little fogg scares you away, then leave.” he said the day before, standing over the boy who spoke out, a fragile wisp of a human being. “There are things far worse than mist and rock in those waters. Things with teeth the size of your car that don’t give a damn about you or your life, just what you might taste like. And the longer we wait the longer we run the risk of meeting one out in the water. Good news though, it might be warm and sunny when we get ripped to shreds.” Some people had laughed then, but he was quite serious.

Time between one Kaiju and the next came down to weeks, sometimes days  and he wanted to be on Isle-A as soon as possible. It only took a day and a half to go from the base in San Francisco to the fractured islands that were once part of Los Angeles, but being out on Pacific waters felt like a year. Now they were steadily approaching the new base of the Pan Pacific Defence Alliance and though the fogg blocked the view of the main island where it was centered he saw no sign of kaiju either. A shot of satisfaction tore through him for being right, but a respectable man shouldn’t gloat, so he settled for a wry smirk.

Alucard kept his eyes on an endless void of white as he steered the ship to coarse, the steady beeping of the navigation devices kept him on the right track. He had bet Lenos he could do it without the navigation but the man never took the bait and just nodded with an “I’m sure you can captain.” and moved on. A smart strategy to avoiding foolish actions is to watch Lenos be unimpressed with the idea.

The sound of raucous laughter cut through the silence of the navigation deck. A few of the other crew members, nothing but a bunch of kids fresh from school, had set their equipment to auto pilot. The were close to their destination and in any other location he would scold them, but the waters weren’t as cruel as those of the coast of Japan or even the cliffs of San Fran. For now the crew gets to have a rest before jumping on to the next job. Jannir, with his airy voice and vibrant vocabulary, was good white noise to listen to while steering.

“Anyway, the first beast I saw was in China. I joined the disposal crew just a day beforehand and then the next morning, Six o’ fucking clock,  like the world’s worst wake-up call, a category 2 Kaiju comes out of the sea to say ‘hi’!” he paused, taking a drag of a cigaret by the smell of it, and exhales with a throaty laugh. He imagens the smoke seeping out of the gaps in his teeth like the man could breathe fire. “The Chinese Jaegers took it down quick enough, Their jaegers gutted the thing along the belly but that was the mistake!”

“Uh-huh, this story again?

“Shhh! I haven't heard this one before. What next?”

Jannir paused waiting for the crowd. Alucard rolled his eyes when he began to speak.

“We go to remove the body, and just as I get out there I see the lumps on it’s back movin. Damn thing was carrying its babies on its back like a toad!” A round of ooo’s and ahh’s from the young and some groans from those who heard the tale before.

“A bunch of slimy eye-less tadpole creatures popped up everywhere and _I_ had to deal with them! Just goes to show that the Jaegers deal with the big shit, but without us guys close to the ground? Disaster.” A few cheers filled the room and Alucard shook his head. He’d heard that story about five hundred different times and his friend never bothered to explain just how they handled it.  

“Finish the story Jannir, how did you solve that little tadpole problem?” the captain asked.

“Oh ah.” Alucard smiled as the man who was once so chatty seemed to be tongue tied. “You know I don’t exactly recall. But I think we incinerated the things!”

The older crew members joked and teased, the younger ones laughed, and Alucard kept his focus until one boy piped up.

“They’re unveiling a bunch of new Jaegers at this base right?  The Maresh line are always so damn cool. You used to pilot one, right captain?”

And there it is. Thicker than any fogg, silence filled the room and smothered it’s warmth. With a heavy sigh Alucard set the ship on auto pilot and rose from his seat. He was dressed like a businessman today, completely respectable in a nice suit so he couldn’t be too intimidating. He leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I did once. Back when they were overgrown frogs running a muck. Not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“What was it like? To be out there in the front lines? How many Kills-”

“Stop.” He raised his hand and stepped forward. “You’re young, and you grew up seeing Jaegers fighting and killing and being declared heroes for it. But Jaeger pilots face life and death and insanity every day. It’s not much of a life. I prefer making my money without looking a Kaiju in the face.”

The crew was silent for a moment, some with awe and some simply not wanting to continue the conversation. Alucard never spoke about his past with venom in his voice, but still the topic dragged everything down like a weight. Only Jannir could break the silence with his vibrant laugh.

“That’s a good point Alucard! But I’d argue we’re doing dangerous work too, possibly worse. At least they die quick. Disposing of Kaiju remains builds up over the years and takes its toll. We just get paid less for our work.”

The rest of them burst out laughing too, happy to have Jannir take the brunt of their captain’ spossible. Alucard had a cold smile on his face when he responded.

“My friend, if you’re not getting paid enough you’re not selling parts to the right people.”

The rest of the crew grinned, Jannir taking another drag of his cigaret, and Alucard took in his crew. A messy, motley group of people who have had a hardness carved into their faces. A few twenty somethings looked like they still expected to be worth any damn thing, but they’ll learn in time. These singular moments of simple pleasure, talking and relaxing, were rare for disposal units. They got to hold on to that for a moment before the ship’s navigation balred and a soft yellow light illuminated the room.

Alucard flew back to his chair, and so did the other crew men. The yellow color didn’t indicate they were approaching a kaiju, thank god, but they were approaching an Island. It was the biggest of the island fragments out in this area of the coast, it rose out of the water like a jagged blade, a sheer cliff  high and facing the depths of the ocean and all that rose from it. On top of it he could make out massive buildings, just hidden by the fog. Alucard’s fingers went numb and his heart quickened in pace, as he looked at the finest Jaeger base he’d seen in years. One ache in his heart said he missed it, another said he hated it. He swallowed his feelings down as the radio began to flicker to life, the speaker crackling as a voice spoke out.

“You are approaching Pan Pacific Defence Alliance base of Isle-A. This is an area for authorized personnel only, please identify yourself or be detained.”

It was the deep voice of an older man, gruff and tired in tone. Alucard stepped forward and pressed the response button, smiling even though the other man couldn’t see him.

“Yes this is Captain Alucard Emery, leader the Kaiju Disposal Unit working on behalf of The Blessed Waters. Our ship number is #0214036, I’m sure your commander has heard of it seeing as he requested us himself.” A sly smile crossed his lips. “I believe I am scheduled to meet with him about a contract?”

A pause for a moment before the man on the other end responded.

“Alright. Proceed.” He sounded disgruntled, as if he had been hoping someone would give him permission to shoot them down.

“Well, you heard the man. Proceed.” He quipped at the crew.

Alucard watched as the Island come closer into view, lights dispersing the fog and a large port at the west base of the cliff came into view. Alucard crossed his arms as he took in sites both new and familiar. Looking at the Jaeger base was like looking at the future, all sharp edges and sleek technology far ahead of what their ship had. He was used to these places by now, had been for a while, but that didn’t mean he was at peace with them. memories and thoughts not his own creeping into his mind as they always do, and as always he pushed them down and got back to business.

_______________________

Rhy sat in his new office, taking in the view and trying to keep his wits about him. The sound of metal pendulum balls click and clack back and forth, the only sound in the room. The commander’s room was set up before he even set foot on the island, all sleek steel walls and pitch black furniture. The only bit of color in the room came from a wine red rug, making the room feel like the approximation of what a machine would call a comfortable work space.

“I like it.” Kell had said, when they walked in.

“Only you would.” Rhy replied.

Kell had disappeared thirty minutes after landing. He might have gone to the engineering department, probably to help with some overly complicated math equation Rhy couldn’t care less about. That was his brother, all about the job. He always took it so seriously. Rhy took his work seriously too, it’s just he never let it consume his life. He knew how to have fun. Okay, maybe he had been a bit of a party boy before, but this is a new era. Rhy was going to take a turn for the serious, he had to if he was going to survive being on an island in monster infested waters. So he sat at his desk in a room devoid of life as he waited for the head of the clean up unit to arrive, and pretended he wasn’t incredibly annoyed at being kept waiting. A commander would not be bothered by such petty things.

The buzzer on his desk went of, and Rhy jumped at the sound. What he thought was a clear paperweight projects a prism of dark red light, the face of a secretary he hadn’t gotten the name of taking shape.

“Commander, The captain of the clean up crew has arrived. Would you like to meet with him now?” The man’s voice was polite, but strained in a way that indicated annoyance. Whether it was directed at the captain or him was anyone’s guess.

“I’ll see him now. Thank you very much mister?”

“Tolners, sir.” As quickly as he said it, the light went out and Rhy was left in silence.

A moment passed, then another, and as Rhy was beginning to worry he the man was lost, the door opened.

And Rhy saw him.

He recognised Alucard Emery from his days in a Jaeger. He had thinned a little and streaks of gray wove through his hair, but he was still a sight to behold. Alucard wasn’t a big man, nor was he intimidating in the traditional sense, but he had this weight to him, this power that seemed to fill any space and make it his. His eyes glanced over the room, and Rhy himself, as if he had seen everything here before, had lived it a thousand times, and was unimpressed to be seeing it again. A radiant smile graced his face as he offered a handshake and Rhy accepted. Rhy savored the feel of rough hands on his.

“Commander Maresh, good to meet you. I must say this is quite the base you got here. A remarkable accomplishment for one so young.” Honeyed words and pleasantries didn’t quite suit Alucard. Annoyance flickered to life in Rhy’s chest. _‘Relax.’_ He thought. ‘ _He underestimates you. That will make it easier.’_

“Have a seat mister Emory.” Alucard sat in his chair while Rhy remained standing.

“ You and your crew have an outstanding reputation as contamination containment unit, so I’ll show a bit of respect and be forwards with my offer. Rather than having you work on a case by case basis, I’d like you to join with us, exclusively, for one year.” As he spoke he opened a drawer, and pulled out a thick stack of papers before sliding them towards the other man. Alucard looked as if Rhy had proposed they fly to the moon. The idea settled in and his lips curled into a smile.

“Interesting, but I’m afraid that’s not normally how this works. I’m sure you’re offering a good deal of money for my services, but what if I get a better deal in Hawaii? Or the San Francisco base? Do you expect me to tell my crew they can’t chase more worthwhile beasts?” Alucard took the contract in hand and flipped through it, eyes scanning the page with half interest. His voice held the tell tail tones of a hunter, as if he were toying with the idea, with Rhy, with everything. It was the voice Rhy remembered listening to as a civilian, a sheltered teenager living in a shining world of heroes and monsters. Alucard’s voice was like a beacon then, impossibly bright. Now he could hear the rough edges in his words. He could hear the voice of a man seeped in shadow.

“I expect you to realize the future when it’s staring you in the eye. The world won’t be chaos forever, i’ll see to that myself. When the world wakes up from this fifty year nightmare, and all the monsters are gone, people will need something else to unify them.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“ Well captain, if you had read that contract in full, rather than just skim it, you’d know I don’t just want you to drag away rotting corpses. I want you to work with us to rebuild this city.”

The words left his lips and for the first time, Rhy felt all of Alucards attention on him. Alucard leaned forward and held Rhy’s gaze, the two of them eye to eye. “Humanity will need something to unify them. I hope to be a beacon of rebirth, of rebuilding. There are those who would leave the coastal cities to dye and turn jaegers into war machines. I’m hoping that a former pilot and current expert on Kaiju remains will show them a better way.” Rhy’s plan finally cliqued together in in Alucard’s mind. His name still held power, still had appeal, and Rhy was going to put that to good use. If humanity needed a new rallying point, Rhy was going to make sure he, his people, and by extension Alucard, were it.

Yet understanding did not equal enthusiasm, or even agreement. The room went silent as Alucard mulled over the proposal, and the room was flooded with heavy silence. Alucard read through the contract and Rhy was left waiting. A childish impatience rose in his heart and was quickly quelled. These things don’t happen in a day, and Rhy was halfway through chastising himself when Alucard laughed. A deep, throaty laugh that still sounded half restrained.

“ I see. I thought I was dealing with a rich, spoiled upstart commander, not a mad man with morals.” Rhy’s blood froze in his veins. “So you mean to make this base the springboard for humanity's future? And make it a better world than it is now?” Alucard asked it like it was a test, or a dare. He waited for Rhy to answer like a shark waits for blood. Rhy paused for a second. Two seconds. Finally with a deep breath, he answered.

“To make it better than it ever was.” the words came out in uneven pieces, slow but solid. He felt his cheeks heat in the way they always do when he imagens a better nature of humanity triumphing at last. Of what he was willing to sacrifice for it. He held Alucard’s gaze, refusing to back down. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Alucard’s eyes soften for a flicker of a moment.

“I see. Well, i’ve worked with the ruthless and the meek, seen just about everything in these waters. I’ve not met someone quite like you.” He got up with the contract in hand, “I’d have to be crazy to not see where this goes.”

“So you’re signing on?”

“I’ll read it over some more, make sure i’m not getting tricked. Though somehow, I feel that’s not your style.” Rhy tried to keep a straight face at that. Oh if only they knew each other in college…

“There’s a legal division down stairs.” Alucard got up, and Rhy began to rest on his first victory. Nabbing your personal hero as a future work partner was pretty smooth if he did say so. He began to lean back into the chair as Alucard paused at the door, turned and asked one more question.

“I must ask, why one year exactly? Why not five, or even a full decade?”

Rhy stilled, paused for a moment, then spoke.

“Currently, all contracts such as this are written in the context of apocalyptic danger, with the enforcement of a broken world government living in fear of the kaiju. For now, your primary job will be to eliminate the remains of kaiju as we rebuild a broken city. In one year’s time, you will help me fix that. In one year’s time the Kaiju will be gone.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this out for summer, but before the New Year works too.  
> I don't know how soon I will update this. I have lots of plans and a story worked out, but I also have to finish my Thesis for school and graduate. Best case scenario is spring break. 
> 
> The next chapter should introduce Holland and Lila! 
> 
> I love all these characters so much, but they belong to the magical V.E. Schwab. I own nothing.


End file.
